Criminals jailed for council-tax re-branding scam

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Three people have been found guilty and given prison sentences for a £250,000 council tax re-banding scam.

Jack Henry had pleaded guilty to defrauding customers though five council tax re-banding businesses and for money laundering offences. He was sentenced to five years and 10 months imprisonment.

Wendy Smith, who acted as a salesperson for the company, was sentenced to two years imprisonment, while John Boon, who worked as an account for the businesses, was found guilty of money laundering and sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for two years.

The prosecution followed a year-long investigation by the National Trading Standards Scambuster Team. They had received over 1,600 complaints regarding claims the companies could lower the home’s council tax bills for a fee.

Cllr Tracey Simpson-Lang, City of York Council’s cabinet member for homes and safer communities, said: ‘This was a widespread fraud which impacted on hundreds of householders, many of whom were elderly and vulnerable.

'Thanks to customers reporting their concerns to Trading Standards teams nationwide, a very complex and lengthy investigation by the specialist Scambuster team of Trading Standards investigators based in York, has led to these criminals’ convictions.’